Armadillos are a constant nuisance in Northeast Florida. They dig holes through your yard and destroy lawns. The real danger comes when they dig under your house.
Armadillos in St. Augustine
Animals in St Augustine
Animals do not discriminate when they need a safe place for food and shelter. We have found critters inside brand-new construction, historic mansions, and forty-year-old ranch homes. They can squeeze through the tiniest gaps or create their own entrance.
Some of the most common places we find entry spots are around people’s roofs.
Gaps around foundations, next to stairs, between HVAC units, and in utility access points.
Did You Know- Why An Animal Is In My House?
The primary reason that drives animals into a structure is because a population already exists outside. Now that population may have grown unchecked and unchallenged for too long which forces these animals to seek food, water, and shelter in areas that may be outside their realm of their normal habitat. Sometimes animals could be chased into a home by a predator, and in other cases land development may displace a population which forces them into locations. --Ian Vosseler
St. Augustine and the Jacksonville Beaches offer miles and miles of coastline. It’s some of the most popular beaches in all of Florida! The popularity isn’t just to people.
Animals like raccoons, bats, and birds also thrive in these natural and urban habitats. Some of the most common complaints we hear from homeowners and property owners involve armadillos, rodents, snakes, and bats.
Our Jacksonville team has been operating locally for years. We recognize the unique signs nuisance animals in Northeast Florida cause and quickly move to get the pests off your property.
Armadillos in Nocatee
Armadillos prefer to dig near or under shelter. When the dig behind bushes, like in this Nocatee yard, the damage can go unnoticed. Armadillos dig burrows to sleep in, give birth, and raise their young. They can get up to fifteen feet long! They can undermine the foundation of your house and lead to significant problems.
We set an armadillo trap for both homeowners to remove the critter safely. Throughout the summer, we applied a spray deterrent to keep other armadillos away. Armadillos can find abandoned burrows and use them. Filling the hole with concrete isn’t that effective because the armadillo can simply dig next to the concrete filling.
Woodpeckers and Bird Control
Birds and woodpeckers aren’t usually considered a pest, but when they stick around your house, it can cause problems.
Woodpeckers drill holes with their beaks in wooden structures for several reasons. If the woodpeckers are drilling many small holes, the siding is probably infested with insects that appeal to woodpecker appetites. Woodpeckers also drill large holes in siding for nests. Sometimes just peck on wood or metal in a woodpecker ritual called drumming. Drumming usually occurs only in spring and at dawn.
Birds also cause problems in St. Augustine and Jacksonville when they nest inside vents. In the spring, birds like starlings can find open dryer or fan vents and create a nest. The nest blocks airflow, so if it’s a dryer vent, it’ll take longer for your clothes to dry. The biggest concern is these nest can become fire hazards.
For both woodpeckers and other birds, the most effective bird control is a series of deterrents both audio and visual. The goal is to make the location so unappealing to a bird, it flies off. Some regulations and laws prevent bird trapping and extermination. It’s also very hard to trap a bird!
Bats‘ natural habitats would be dense, wooded areas. Most of our activity is in exterior soffits, attics, and behind fascia boards around homes.
People usually notice guano at first. Guano droppings are along the exterior of the home and exit areas of the colonies, such as roof returns and eaves. People also notice bats exiting their home at dusk or evening hours of the day.
How We Get Rid of Bats in Northeast Florida
We follow all laws and regulations to provide the most ethical bat removal service around Jacksonville.
The exclusion process is done with a bat cone or bat valve. We exclude the entire home except the daily point of exit/entry.
We secure a one-way bat valve over the hole, allowing the bats to exit the nest but not re-enter freely. We leave the valve up for 1-4 days, remove it after the bats have shown no sign of re-entry, clean the roosting area, sanitize and treat for ectoparasites. We then seal up this final area so the bats can’t enter again.
Rats in St. Augustine
Rats are a persistent problem in St. Augustine and the surrounding beach towns like Crescent Beach, Vilano Beach, and Nocatee. Rats thrive near water and people. Rats squeeze through holes no bigger than a quarter, gnaw on anything, and eat your food. Their droppings contaminate and destroy insulation.
Call Trutech In to Get Wildlife Out
We have been providing wildlife removal and rodent control to Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach for decades. Over 90,000 households have trusted us to get rid of animals and pests from their homes.